Brighton CCA is the Gallery Space that is now run privately but still open for student use and very focused on collaboration. They “focus is on supporting the development of artists’ practice and practice-based research; nurturing cross-disciplinary dialogue and placing the resources of the University at the disposal of artists and audiences.” It is a democratic space with many workshops, screenings and talks, but due to Covid-19 and the lockdown, these have been moved online.
It is slightly strange being in a zoom call with strangers but I really enjoyed this workshop which was in two parts, using a still life with personal objects. The workshops were inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s text, The Carrier Bag of Fiction, and “its focus on the everyday tale, we invite you to arrange a collection of items that reflect a history or a story, to observe while drawing.” These items are simply what I have on my bedside table.
Week 1 Still Life
We created timed blind and partially blind drawings, focusing on the shapes that create the objects (1-4 minute drawings) I then refined the lines. The first few drawings were very quick so I drew over the top with different pens which works nicely, but I like the compositions and surrealist shapes of the later partial peek drawings. It was really fun to draw so freely. I plan to add watercolour too to take the drawings even further.
I like looking at these drawings and seeing personal objects which I treasure and enjoy looking at, and found that blind drawing works really well with this idea of being present and in the moment. In my own research, I have learned about the extended self, proposed by Russel Belk in 1988 and how “knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally, we regard our possessions as parts of ourselves”. It would be interesting to look at possessions I own and think about the emotions behind them, and draw them in this observational style whilst thinking about my identity relating to gender and parts of self.
Week 2 Still Life
I really enjoy making images flow together and join in abstract surreal ways. A big focus of my self-directed project is how everything is connected, and one thing cannot exist without another. Drawing my surroundings and objects I enjoy and have collected is a great way for me to develop my drawings while still not focusing on a perfect outcome. Through these workshops and Jake’s Lockdownlifedrawing I have been reminded of how freeing blind drawing is, and have discovered the drawings are really fun to work back into. Some of these drawings are like unplanned collages and the outcomes excite me to develop the collaging of my work further through digital mediums.
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